Personal Infernos
by ShadowEidolon
Summary: Robin wouldn't have been as annoyed with the kidnapping if he had known who exactly had kidnapped him. Or perhaps if the kidnapper didn't have such of an... interest in Raven. Especially when their kidnapper is a sadist. Robin/Raven
1. Pleasantries

Robin felt like an elephant was sitting on his forehead. Not the best way to wake up in the morning. He sat up groggily, rubbing his head in an attempt to soothe the piercing headache he had suddenly developed. The first thing that he noticed was he was in his full uniform. He could have sworn that he hadn't gone to bed wearing it. Admittedly, in the past he had occasionally collapsed onto his bed without bothering to switch out of his combat gear, but he always made sure to switch out of his utility belt. Explosion hazard. He had learned that after a particularly rough night's sleep. But for some strange reason, his utility belt was clamped around his waist, the metal gleaming gold in the harsh light from above.

Light from above? Robin didn't have a ceiling light in his room.

Robin leapt to his feet, slipping into a combat stance instinctively. Wherever he was, this definitely wasn't part of the tower. The room was cramped, barely the size of an average dorm room. Elegantly carved obsidian walls seemed to absorb the bright light blasting from above, making the area appear even more claustrophobic than it already was. Gleaming silver tiles were arranged in complicated patterns across the floor, forming intricate geometric designs. Overall, the room seemed like a jail cell, albeit an elegantly designed one.

What the room lacked in space, however, it more than made up for in height. Glancing upwards, Robin noted that the room seemed to be without a ceiling, stretching almost infinitely upwards before reaching a blinding white light. Most concerning, however, were the lack of any doors or windows. The black walls were seamless, revealing no signs of any exits or entrances that could be possibly exist. The room was completely cut off, impossible to get in or out of. Wherever Robin was, he had no idea how he had gotten in there, and had even less of an idea on how to get out.

Robin took a few cautious steps backwards, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out exactly where he was. His heel sudden snagged on something, and Robin went tumbling backwards, smashing his head against the obsidian wall with a sickening crack. Great. Three seconds in, and Robin had already managed to give himself a concussion. That might be a new record.

Robin groaned, sitting up and gingerly rubbing the back of his head. To his surprise, his complaint was matched with an equally annoyed groan. Glancing down, he noticed what he had tripped over. He swallowed involuntarily. If she was here, whatever was about to happen was either going to be much easier or much more difficult.

Raven sat up warily, clutching her head and wincing. She glanced over at Robin, who was still halfway on top of her, crashed against the wall in an admittedly comical position. She sighed in exasperation, pulling her cloak out from beneath Robin with a less-than-graceful yank. Robin's head smacked against the obsidian again, in exactly the same location. That was going to leave a nasty bruise.

"If this is another one of your surprise combat drills, Robin," Raven growled, getting to her feet and brushing herself off, "I'm going to kill you."

Robin pulled himself to his feet, untangling his cape from around him. "Before you kill me, just let me say that this one isn't my fault," he replied, surveying their prison once again, "I don't really remember planning a course like this."

Raven glanced around the cell, taking in their surroundings silently. If she was surprised, she gave no sign. Instead, she formed a small black orb of energy around her right hand, preparing an incantation.

"What do you think?" Robin muttered, drawing one of his bird-a-rangs and turning to face the opposite wall, going back-to-back with Raven. "Five dollars says it's either Mad Mod or Control Freak."

"I'd say Mumbo Jumbo," Raven said evenly, as if being kidnapped during the night was no big deal for her. "If it was either of those two, the walls would either be plastered with Union Jacks, or would smell like body odor and pizza boxes."

Robin shrugged, remembering their previous encounters with the less-than-super-villains. "Fair enough. My money's still on Mad Mod, though."

To be honest, neither Robin nor Raven were particularly panicked about the situation. Robin was constantly running obscure combat drills, ranging from simple hostage scenarios to fist-fighting virtual harpies in a simulated tornado. Although the other Titans were just about ready to throw the Boy Wonder out of a window for the 5:00 AM wakeup calls, at times like this the training paid off.

"Do you think you can get us out of here?" Robin asked, gesturing towards the orb of magic in Raven's hand. "Can you cast a portal, or teleport us out of here?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Ah, yes, I forgot that I'm the Titan's taxi service. How silly of me."

Despite her sarcasm, Raven raised her hand, preparing to launch a portal at the obsidian wall farthest from them. The black orb began to glow with energy, prepped for launch.

"You know, that might not be a good idea."

A voice echoed from above, resonating off of the cell's walls until it sounded like a trio of voices speaking at once. Both Raven and Robin glanced up, squinting to see through the bright light at the top of the shaft.

Leaning against a balcony high above their heads was a dark figure, twirling a cane nonchalantly. At first, Robin felt slightly triumphant. A cane would normally mean Mad Mod, and that would mean Robin had won the bet. As juvenile as it was, Robin liked winning his bets, as opposed to admitting he was wrong. This tended to cause a bit of trouble over the years, as he and Cyborg tended to get into heated arguments about who exactly had won certain bets, and who had to pay the other the coveted fifty cents. Yeah, it was a bit immature, but Robin couldn't help it.

His second thought was about the balcony. He could have sworn that it hadn't been there when he had last checked. Somehow it had materialized there when he wasn't looking. Even more surprising was the fact that there was no door leading to it. There was no crevice in the wall behind it, no sign that there was any way to climb into it or drop onto it from above. It seemed like the balcony was completely inaccessible, but yet, there was a person standing on it, leaning casually against its twisted metal handrail.

The figure stared down at the two Titans, a darkened silhouette from the harsh light above him.

"Well?" he asked, his voice echoing off of the walls. Definitely male, judging by the inflection of the words, and probably a teenager. "What are you waiting for? Give it a shot. See what happens."

Robin and Raven both turned to look at the pulsing orb of magic surrounding Raven's hand. Robin opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated. When a villain was encouraging you to go through with your escape plan, it wasn't a good sign. It would usually lead to booby traps, explosions, or explosive booby traps. None of which sounded pleasant. Finally, Robin shrugged, gesturing at Raven to go ahead. Raven hesitated, but then aimed her hand directly at the wall farthest from them. Robin made sure to cover at least half of his face with his cape, just as a bit of added insurance. Hopefully it would be enough not to get disintegrated if this went haywire.

Raven took a deep breath, glancing quickly back up at the figure above them, who leaned casually against the guardrail of the balcony. She was obviously considering blasting the guy with a good deal of magic, but he didn't seem quite in range. "Azarath…" Raven muttered, the orb in her hand pulsing rapidly, "Metrion… ZINTHOS!"

The orb blasted from her hand, aimed directly at the wall. On any other occasion, it would have been a perfect shot. Right now, however, the rules seemed to have changed. The energy struck the obsidian wall perfectly, and then ricocheted off like a haywire missile. The orb darted around the room wildly, the edges of the magic sharpening to the point where they looked like they could leave a nasty wound.

"Get down!" Robin shouted, dropping to the floor as the orb ricocheted inches above his head, scorching a few hairs off in the process. Raven dropped down next to him, cursing under her breath as she watched her spell bounce around their cell uncontrollably. It was only a matter of time before one of them was impaled by the runaway magic.

Suddenly, the orb, which now resembled the business end of a medieval flail, screeched to a stop in midair, dropping from sixty miles per hour to zero in less than a second. The orb hovered in midair for a moment, as if unsure where to go. It then zoomed upwards rapidly, rocketing directly towards the silhouette far above their heads. For a moment, Robin hoped that the orb would smack the guy in the face, whoever he was, and send him tumbling down to their level. At the very least, it would be pretty entertaining.

No such luck. The orb shot over the figure's head, stopped, and then began to drift down slowly, like a partially deflated balloon. The pulsing black energy settled gracefully into the figure's outstretched hand, hovering only a millimeter above the fingertips. For a moment, the very center of the orb seemed to pulse red, like it was developing a tiny heartbeat. Then the figure closed his hand into a tight fist, crushing the magic into nothingness. The figure chuckled, as if he had enjoyed reducing the magic to nothing. Or possibly because watching the orb ricochet inches above the Titans' heads had inherent comedic value.

"I'll give you points for effort," the figure remarked, speaking almost condescendingly, "but this cell has been specifically prepared for you two. The walls were designed to reject all forms of magic."

The figure chuckled again, as if laughing at his own private joke. For a moment, it seemed like small red sparks seemed to emanate from the speaker's outstretched fist. "Except my own, of course."

"Whoever this guy is," Robin grumbled, getting to his feet and dusting himself off, "he is really starting to get on my nerves."

"Care to rethink your bet?" Raven muttered, glancing up at the silhouetted figure leaning on the balcony. "I'm starting to doubt that we know this one."

The figure laughed out loud, like he had just remembered something hilarious. "Oh, my sincerest apologies, sorceress. I've neglected to make introductions."

As soon as the words were spoken, the figure vanished in an small tornado of burnt-red smoke. After an instant, the smoke cleared, revealing not only that their "host" had disappeared, but also his entire balcony. An impressive magic trick, but it probably didn't bode well for the Titans.

"Now then," a voice said from directly behind them, "where were we?"

Robin and Raven wheeled around, finding themselves inches away from an oddly dressed boy, the remains of the smoke fading away into nothingness.

Robin wasn't sure if he was impressed or disappointed. The boy was definitely about their age, judging by his height. To be honest, the height was the only thing Robin could tell about the boy for sure. The boy's entire head was concealed within a gleaming silver skull mask. The mask was remarkably ornate, carved with extraordinary attention to detail, and had a ring of minuscule rubies embedded in the skull's forehead, like a crown from the Underworld. The eyes of the mask were slanted downwards, presenting an expression halfway between a glare and a look of disappointment. The boy's chin and mouth were hidden behind a shining silver jawbone, matching the ornate skull in detail and intricacy. Together, the jawbone and mask formed a stretch of teeth across his cheeks, giving the boy a constant, unnatural grin.

Beyond the mask, the boy seemed to be dressed like a gentleman. A sharp-edged black tuxedo clung to his athletic frame, with a blood-red shirt and gloves contrasting sharply with the dark color scheme. A dark red rose was tucked into the boy's lapel, freshly picked and so dark Robin almost mistook it for black. In his right hand, the boy clutched a cane the same color as the walls of the cell. The top of the cane was made up of a thick silver ring, with four ruby claws pointed up towards the ceiling. Robin had the sense that some type of object was supposed to be held between the four claws, but there was nothing, no top to the elegant cane. Overall, the boy looked like royalty from Hell.

The boy seemed to smirk below his mask, tilting his head slightly as he stared at Robin. "You seem surprised to see me, Robin," he noted, clicking his tongue behind his bony grin. "Have you forgotten me already?"

Raven gave Robin a look like; _You've run into this kid before_? Robin looked back at her, a blank look on his face. If he'd run into this particular villain before, he couldn't remember.

"Let's see… skull mask, tuxedo, cane… I've run into a lot of supervillains like you," Robin replied, scratching his head in a mockery of deep thought. Finally, he gave an exaggerated sigh. "Sorry, you must not have left much of an impression."

The boy didn't seem surprised by the response. In fact, he seemed like he had been expecting it. "Pity," he said calmly, his voice revealing no emotions whatsoever. "It only took you a month or two for you to completely forget about me. I don't particularly blame you. At the time, I was a… failure, in your modest opinion." The boy's tone was still neutral, but there seemed to be a threat lurking beneath the words. "It's a shame you don't remember. This could have been much more interesting if you had."

The boy shrugged, waving Robin off like he was a pesky mosquito. "But never mind that. You aren't who I'm interested in. Why focus on the servant when there is royalty in the room?"

Before Robin could respond to the casual insult, the boy turned to face Raven, almost appearing to grin under his mask. "Ah, sorceress, you are truly exquisite."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him, a bit uneasy from the compliment. "Um, thanks?"

As the two spoke, Robin slowly slid his staff out of his utility belt, trying to make as little sound as possible. If he could take down whoever this kid was before anything major happens, that would be great. A quick, forceful blow to the back of the head should do nicely.

If the boy noticed Robin arming himself, he gave no sign. His eyes bored into Raven, silently examining her as if she were a precious gem. Raven was clearly uncomfortable with the attention, but she had noticed what Robin was doing. She needed to stall until Robin could give their captor a nice smack in the head.

"Daughter of Trigon, member of the Teen Titans, and unmatched in magic capabilities." The boy shook his head, chuckling. "Raven, you are one of a kind. Yes, this is going to be quite interesting. To be completely honest, I've been looking forward to this."

Raven shifted her stance awkwardly, glaring at Robin, mentally urging him to hurry up his sneak attack. "Oh, so you actually do have a plan?" Raven's tone was completely flat, but she still managed to sound sarcastic. "Or are you simply planning on complimenting me all day?"

Robin shifted behind the boy, expanding the staff to its full length. Kidnapping the two of them was one thing. Blatantly flirting with Raven? That was something else. Robin decided to take this kid down as quickly as possible.

"That depends if I get what I want," the boy said simply. "Now that we are done with the pleasantries, I should introduce myself."

Robin chose that moment to attack. With the boy's back to him, Robin dove forward, swinging his staff directly towards the boy's head. Under normal circumstances, Robin's staff would have left a serious dent in the boy's silver mask and would probably knock their captor unconscious for a few hours. Unfortunately, these weren't normal circumstances.

As Robin dove forwards, the boy bowed slightly, allowing the staff to swing harmlessly over his head. Before Robin could react, the boy whirled his cane over Robin's staff, pinning it down, and yanked down with surprising strength. Robin, still clutching his end of his staff, was flipped over the boy's back and was sent flying into the opposite wall with a sickening _crack_. Before either Robin or Raven could react, the boy seemed to teleport from one end of the room to the other. He stood over Robin's sprawled body, the ruby claws on the tip of his staff digging into Robin's throat. Robin couldn't even swallow without risking slicing his throat open. He wasn't even sure if he could breathe.

"Do not interrupt me, Robin," the boy growled, his tone contrasting sharply with the unnatural grin stretching across his face. As beads of Robin's blood trickled out of his throat, the rubies on the staff began to crackle with a rusty-red energy, dancing through the air inches from Robin's throat. "I may be interested in the sorceress, but I only keep you around for two reasons. One is a personal vendetta. The second…"

The boy glanced at Raven, who had shifted into a fighting stance, both arms encased in shifting black energy. The boy stared at the magic, drinking it in. Robin couldn't understand it. Most villains they'd faced would shrink away at the sight of Raven's dark magic, sometimes even surrendering to the threatening black aura. Not this one. He seemed to be transfixed by the magic, staring at it almost hungrily.

"If you back away from him now," Raven said quietly, her voice made even more threatening by the undercurrent of magic her voice resonated through, "I might not send you through one of these 'magic-proof' walls. I doubt that they'll provide much help to you when you crash through them."

Once again, Robin was reminded how glad he was that Raven was on his side. Trying to face down a half-demon was like trying to fistfight a bull. You won't be coming out in one piece.

The boy stared at Raven silently for a moment, as if contemplating his options. Then he leaned back, twirling the staff over his shoulder like he had just come back from a long hike. Robin released a deep breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, wincing as he felt the blood trickle down his throat.

"The second reason," the boy continued, his tone as casual as if he were merely discussing the weather, "is insurance."

The boy glanced at Robin, who was just starting to get to his feet. "You wouldn't want to pull anything tricky with your girlfriend's life on the line, would you? Nor vice versa."

"She's not my girlfriend," Robin wheezed, still trying to catch his breath after having his windpipe forcibly shut.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Raven snapped, glaring at the boy, who had begun spinning his cane casually.

The boy shrugged, unbothered. "Regardless, I doubt either of you would risk the other's life in a futile escape attempt. Besides, my requests are reasonable."

Raven stared at him, almost too bewildered to respond. The boy had kidnapped them, and he had the nerve to say that his requests were reasonable? Supervillains were getting more insane every day.

The boy chuckled, leaning against his cane as he stared at the two Titans. "I'll give you a little while to become acquainted with your new surroundings. Then we'll have a little negotiation. After all, I'm not a barbarian."

"Right," Robin mumbled, massaging the four shallow cuts on his throat. "It's not like you've already kidnapped us, or injured us, or…"

"The injuries were in self-defense. You attacked me, as I recall," the boy pointed out. "Now, may I finally introduce myself?"

This time, neither Robin nor Raven interrupted him. The boy sighed in relief. "Finally, a little chivalry."

The boy's skull mask seemed to grin evilly. "My name is Dante." The boy chuckled, as if he had made a delightfully clever inside joke. "I'll give you an hour to settle down. Then we'll begin… negotiations."

With that, Dante disappeared into a thick cloud of rust-colored smoke. When the smoke cleared, he had vanished, leaving Robin and Raven alone in their tiny cell.

Raven glanced over at Robin. "You sure you don't measure this guy?"

Robin stared at the ceiling, thinking as hard as he could. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "He said his name was Dante?"

Raven nodded, sighing with relief. At this point, any information was appreciated. "Why? Do you remember who he is?"

Robin stared back at her, his face completely serious. "I don't have a clue who this guy is."

Raven groaned, punching Robin in the shoulder. Hard.

Robin winced, rubbing his shoulder gingerly. "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

Raven rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation. "Great idea, Robin. Lighten the mood. That'll make kidnapping so much easier to handle."

Robin shrugged, glancing around the room sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. But did it work?"

Raven glanced around their tiny room silently, ignoring Robin. Then, after a moment, she allowed herself a tiny smile. "Okay, it worked. But only a little."

Robin glanced back up, grinning. "Told you."

Then Robin sat down, lying back against one of the obsidian walls. "Okay, I'm finished exploring our apartment. And only fifty-nine minutes left."

Raven sighed, sitting down next to him. "Well, we better get the most out of our rest. Anyone named Dante probably isn't going to have the most peaceful negotiations."

Later, Raven would look back on this statement and almost laugh. The "negotiations" weren't an effort in diplomacy. They were personalized hells.

* * *

><p>(Note: I do not own Teen Titans). I know, I know, not the most exciting first chapter. Thank you to anyone reading this. I'm looking forward to writing this story.<p> 


	2. Opening Remarks

Personal Infernos 2

It took exactly fifty-six minutes and forty-eight seconds for Dante to reappear. Not surprisingly, it took the exact same amount of time for Robin's headache to return.

The boy's silver skull mask smiled wickedly at the two Titans, his arms tucked behind his back. He glanced from Raven to Robin and back.

"I trust that your suite is to your liking?" he asked, tilting his head as if he were genuinely curious about their opinion. Robin was tempted to punch the guy in the sterling-silver face.

Raven got to her feet, wincing. Judging from her expression, Robin guessed that her headache had returned, as well. Robin wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Dante that caused a type of pressure, like your head was trapped inside a very tight helmet. Just one more reason to dislike him.

Raven glared at Dante, pulling her hood up over her head. "About as comfortable as you'd expect a jail cell to be."

Dante nodded. "Excellent. Now, shall we begin with the negotiations?"

Robin got to his feet slowly, keeping a careful eye on Dante. He didn't doubt that Dante would shoot him in the back if given the opportunity. Actually, Dante probably wouldn't hesitate to shoot him before he turned his back. Neither of which sounded pleasant.

"If you kidnapped us, you should know a thing or two about us," Robin growled, dusting himself off. "We don't negotiate with criminals."

Dante turned to face Robin. Although it was almost impossible to tell through the skull mask, Robin could have sworn that Dante's expression changed to one of irritation, as if he didn't want Robin to open his mouth.

"You misunderstand, Robin," Dante said slowly, as if talking to an infant. "I never said the negotiations included you."

Both Robin and Raven raised their eyebrows in surprise. Robin couldn't decide if he were more concerned about the statement, or insulted by being brushed off like an insect.

"You're demanding negotiations without one of the people you kidnapped," Raven said slowly, as if trying to figure out exactly what Dante was thinking. "What kind of negotiations are you thinking of?"

Dante shrugged, adjusting the rose in his lapel. "Simple. I tell you what I want. You agree. And you two can go on your way."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "And if we disagree?"

Dante's mask held its sickly grin. "Well, then I'll have to persuade you otherwise."

Before either Raven or Robin could respond, Dante spun his hand, chuckling as he did. In a burst of rusty-red smoke, his staff appeared in his hand, the ruby claws on the tip glowing brightly. Dante slammed his staff into the ground, the tip making a piercing _clang_ as it struck the silver floor tiles. Almost immediately, red sparks began flowing from the staff, racing across the floor tiles in an effort to reach two walls opposite of each other. The magic raced up the walls, rapidly forming edges and corners as they settled and melted into the walls. Within an instant, there were two vastly different doors carved into both walls, both steaming with cooling magic.

The entrance on their left consider of a pair of elegantly carved doors, encased within a bronze doorframe and carved out of what appeared to be solid gold. Intricate designs were carved into the doors, many of which were still sparking with rust-colored magic. A ruby doorknob protruded from each door, still glowing with heat. Overall, the door wouldn't have looked out of place in the Buckingham Palace.

In sharp contrast, the door on their right was carved directly out of the obsidian, the edges rough-cut and crumbling. The door was made of rusting iron, complete with a heavy door-brace prepared next to it. It looked like the entrance to a torture chamber, a sharp contrast to the elegant pair of doors across from it.

Dante looked up, gesturing with his cane to the two doors behind him. "Impressive, no?"

Robin might have been impressed if the doors hadn't meant imminent danger. So he was slightly surprised when he noticed Raven's posture stiffen, as if the doors bothered her somehow. Robin wasn't sure why. He had seen Raven do some astonishing things with magic. A pair of doors didn't seem that impressive in comparison.

Dante noticed Raven's change in posture as well. "You seemed impressed, sorceress" he noted, twirling his staff casually.

"Hardly," Raven said coolly, her expression remaining neutral. "I've seen more powerful sorcery from a child's magic set."

Dante chuckled, pressing his hand against his chest as if stabbed. "You wound me, Raven. I don't suppose that was necess-"

Dante was interrupted by the sizzle of burning flesh, like a slice of bacon tossed on a frying pan. At first, Robin assumed that Dante had attacked them somehow. He did a quick once-over of himself, checking for any roasted flesh or missing appendages. To his surprise, he was completely fine. Glancing back at Dante, however, Robin noticed where the strange sound had originated.

Tendrils of steam trickled out from between the teeth of Dante's skull mask, almost like he was exhaling cigarette smoke. Dante shuddered, then whipped around to turn his back to the Titans, wrenching off his mask's jaw piece as he did so.

Robin glanced at Raven, half expecting to see her eyes glowing with magic. To his surprise, Raven seemed just as shocked as he was. Whatever was happening to Dante had nothing to do with the two of them.

Dante covered his exposed face with his arm, coughing violently into his sleeve. Steam obscured Dante's face, hiding it from completely from Robin's view. From the looks of it, it almost looked like Dante's face had burst into flames behind his mask.

After a moment, Dante's violent coughs died down, and Dante slid his mask back into position. He quickly turned back to face the Titans, his skull mask still grinning wickedly. "My apologies," he said smoothly. Robin noted that he sounded slightly less arrogant, less confident than before. "I needed to address a… medical problem. Where were we?"

"You were about to let us go, and turn yourself in to the police," Robin supplied, his face as neutral as he could manage.

"Very funny," Dante snarled. He seemed to notice how angry he sounded, and quickly regained his composure. "But as I was saying, the negotiations will be fairly simple. I will speak to one of you in my study," Dante said, gesturing to the elegantly carved door, "While the other faces a challenge in the other room," he finished, gesturing to the rough-cut door.

"Let me guess," Robin muttered, glaring at Dante. "Raven's going into the study, and I'm facing challenge."

Dante nodded, twirling his cane nonchalantly. "Congratulations. You're not as imbecilic as you look."

Robin gritted his teeth to keep himself from snapping back. This kid was intentionally trying to get under his skin.

"There is no way we're doing this," Raven said coldly, glaring at Dante, who immediately stopped whirling his cane. "Split us up? That has got to be the oldest trap in the book."

Dante stared at Raven curiously, as if surprised by her opinion. "Why do you care?" he asked, his tone sounding genuinely confused. "No harm is to come to you while you're in my study, I swear to it. I simply wish to negotiate."

Raven shook her head, a look of irritation crossing her face. "It's not my safety I'm worried about. You're sending Robin into a death trap, and you think I'm concerned about _my_ safety?"

Dante tapped his chin with his cane thoughtfully, as if he hadn't thought about it. "I see… the negotiations can't take place unless both sides are willing… hmm…"

Then he snapped his fingers, as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea. "I've got it. Your main concern is that of your boyfriend's safety, correct? That's why you won't start the negotiations. You refuse to let him enter the challenge room."

"She's not my-" Robin protest began, his face turning slightly red.

"So this leaves one option," Dante interrupted, not even glancing at Robin. "If you won't start negotiations if he has to go in there…"

Dante snapped his fingers. Before either of the Titans could react, a funnel cloud of dark red smoke whipped up around Robin, completely concealing him from view. In an instant, the smoke cleared, revealing an empty space where the Boy Wonder had been standing only moments before. At the same time, the heavy door brace slammed down over the iron door, fusing to the lock and sealing the door shut. Raven stared at Dante's grinning mask, horrified.

"…Perhaps you'll be interested in getting him out of there." The grinning mask seemed to mock her, the sneer stretching from ear to ear. "Now, shall we begin?"

Raven bit her tongue to keep her from lashing out at Dante. "Fine," she growled. "Let's get this over with."

Dante seemed to smile, even without taking the mask into account. "Splendid. I will meet you in my study. In the meantime, I have some… pest control I need to take care of."

With that, Dante disappeared in a column of red smoke. Raven swore under her breath. Great. Now Dante was using Robin as a pawn.

She sighed, and then turned to the massive double-doors. Might as well get this done as soon as possible. Hopefully Robin would stay alive long enough.

Robin hated feeling like a pawn. So far today, he had been subject to a counterattack from Dante, only to be saved by Raven, openly announced as "insurance" for Raven's behavior, and now teleported into a dungeon to, you guessed it, sway Raven's opinion. Didn't do wonders for his self-esteem.

Robin really felt useless. He hadn't contributed anything yet, and had to be saved several times by Raven in the first couple minutes. Since when was he the damsel in distress? So far he had done nothing but hang around and shout at Dante a little. Very helpful.

There was something about Dante that set Robin's teeth on edge. The magic, the reference to meeting Robin before, and especially the fascination with Raven, it all seemed, well, strange. Something was tickling in the back of Robin's mind. He wasn't sure how, but Dante was at least slightly right; Robin did have a sense that he knew him. Something about the magic was bothering him. That, and the fact that Dante had apparently scorched a part of his face off earlier. The kid wasn't exactly the most stable person Robin had ever met.

Robin quickly surveyed the room. The walls were still carved out of obsidian, but seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions, disappearing into the darkness. The only light in the room was from Robin's insignia, which automatically lit up to illuminate his immediate area. As if on cue, the uniform's light flickered slightly, temporarily plunging the room into darkness. Robin made a mental note to replace the batteries soon. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in pitch-blackness without any light at all.

"Dante, when I get out of here, I'm going to strangle you," Robin muttered, sliding his staff out of his utility belt.

"You know," a voice said from directly behind him, "you might find that rather difficult."

Robin whipped around, swinging his staff instinctively. In one fluid motion, Dante, still surrounded by fading red smoke, caught the staff in one hand and swung his cane under Robin's legs. Robin went crashing to the ground, disarmed and knocked down in one action. Yep. Just another reason to hate Dante.

Dante studied Robin's staff for a moment, as if judging its worth. After a moment, he made a sound of disgust. "Worthless," he muttered, carelessly tossing the staff aside and allowing it to clatter to the floor. "Not even a drop of magic. Completely and utterly worthless."

Robin leapt to his feet, snatching his staff as he did. "I don't have magic, so what? I can still kick your butt without it."

"You really are an imbecile, aren't you?" Dante growled, his grip on his cane tightening. "Magic isn't something you take for granted. It's precious. Valuable. Extremely rare. I don't even-"

Dante stopped short, cutting himself off. Robin noticed that Dante's statements didn't seem as elegant or confident. They sounded rawer, more angry and agitated. Dante's entire composure seemed to have changed. He wasn't holding himself like a price anymore. He gripped his cane tightly, as if it were an anchor during rough tides. He kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting an attack from any angle. Dante seemed like more like a paranoid fugitive, expecting death to swoop in at any time.

"Something wrong, Dante?" Robin ventured, trying to make his tone as mocking as possible. "You aren't losing your nerve, are you?"

Dante's mask refracted the faint light from Robin's insignia, only adding to its unnatural appearance. "Don't press your luck, kid," Dante growled, tapping his cane into the ground impatiently. "You're not my goal. You're expendable. Insurance. A pawn."

Robin glared back at him, clutching his staff tightly. "And you're a monster. What's your point?"

Dante's mask seemed to glower at Robin. "Don't _ever_ call me a monster. Especially with _your_ track record, Robin."

Dante tapped his mask's chin with his cane, as if he had given himself an idea. "Actually, that's a good place to start. Monster. Your track record. The eighth layer, bolgia seven."

Robin had no idea what Dante was talking about, but it didn't sound pleasant. Dante lifted his cane into the air with one hand, muttering what sounded like a foreign language under his breath.

"Elcirc thgie," Dante muttered, making quick hand signs with his empty hand, "Reyal neves!" Dante's skull grin glittered evilly. "Let's see what's lurking in that head of yours, birdboy."

Dante slammed his staff down onto the ground, the top erupting with scarlet sparks. The sparks raced across the ground rapidly, forming an enormous grid on the room's floor. The ground rumbled, and suddenly sections of the floor began to rise into the air, slamming into the ceiling to form new walls and hallways. In an instant, an enormous black labyrinth surrounded Robin.

Dante wasn't finished. The magic continued to pour out of his cane, forming a rust-colored pool of magic in the center of the floor. Dante pointed his empty hand towards the pool like a finger gun. "Esir GERYON!"

The pool of magic began to bubble nastily, turning as black as tar. For a brief moment, Robin thought that the substance was about to explode. Instead, the inky liquid began to rise up, creating a roughly humanoid shape about Robin's size. Then details began to emerge, as if forced through the tar. The figure became more lean and muscular, its stumpy hands growing fingers which spasmed wildly, searching for something to grab hold of. The tar closed in around the head of the figure, forming a skull-like face. Almost as a finishing touch, a white streak appeared in the tar, carving a smudged white X across the face.

Robin stared at the figure before him with a mixture of amazement and terror. Standing rigidly before him was a nearly exact replica of Red-X. The figure was an inky black, with only the narrow eyes and bright white X hinting at color. The edges of X were smudged, vapors of magic steaming off of him as if he were boiling hot.

Dante paced around his newly-created villain, examining it carefully. "Not my greatest work," he admitted, "but he'll do nicely."

Robin coughed, trying to appear unimpressed. "Wow. Congratulations. You've recreated Red-X, a villain I've defeated several times before. Foolproof plan."

Dante glanced at Robin. "Red-X, so that's his name. But no, Robin, this isn't Red-X. It simply has his form. The thief. The liar. Pulled directly from your mind. This, my friend, is Geryon."

As if on cue, the Red-X lookalike twitched. The mask quivered, and suddenly the eyes seemed to roll forward. Robin realized, with slight revulsion, that the iconic Red-X mask was no costume for this creature. It was its face. Two pupils rolled forward in the narrow eyes, forming black reptilian slits. They surveyed the room quickly, as if taking in every possible angle. Then, to Robin's disgust, the mask split open, revealing an ear-to-ear mouth lined with needle-like teeth, dripping with the inky liquid. The creature snarled and writhed, its claw-like hands jerking towards Robin in an attempt to strangle him. To both Robin and Geryon's surprise, Geryon couldn't take a step forward. Glancing downwards, Robin saw that the creature's feet were still undefined, still lumps of cooling magic.

Dante chuckled, flipping his cane over his shoulder. "Ah, yes, I forgot to mention. In an attempt to be sporting, I'm going to give you five minutes. By then, Geryon will be able to leave his perch, and you will become its prey. My advice: use the labyrinth to your advantage, birdboy. It'll buy you a few more minutes."

Robin took a step backwards, glaring at Dante in the faint light of his badge. "You're a madman," he growled.

Dante clicked his tongue. "No, Robin. I'm just after my best interests. And, unfortunately for you, your survival isn't part of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some negotiations to attend."

Something inside Robin snapped. If Dante was willing to go this far just to get Robin out of the way, whatever he had planned for Raven couldn't be good. Robin couldn't allow that. He dove at Dante, drawing a bird-a-rang from his utility belt. Inches before contact, Dante vanished in a cloud of red smoke, and Robin went skidding across the floor.

Robin got to his feet, swearing. He needed to find some way out of this labyrinth and get to Raven. Somehow, he was going to have to beat Dante's game.

A sickening _shluck_, like a boot being pulled out of mud, caught Robin's attention. Turning around, Robin saw that Dante's abomination had managed to yank one of its inky boots out of the shrinking pool of magic, and was starting to claw at the other. Five minutes was probably an overestimation on Dante's part.

Robin swore again under his breath. Then he did whatever a reasonable person would do. He took off into to labyrinth at full speed.

_Raven, stay alive_, he thought. Whatever he was facing, he doubted Raven was facing a anything better.


	3. Negotiation

Raven couldn't decide if the study was designed to impress, or if Dante actually enjoyed having a ridiculously extravagant room. Probably the latter.

Raven entered the room cautiously, glancing around the room to make sure she wasn't setting off any booby traps. Dante had sworn that nothing would happen to her while she was in his study, but, judging how he had thrown Robin into a dungeon without a second thought, Raven was going to take Dante's promises with a grain of salt.

The study was a comfortable size, the walls gleaming obsidian and framed with intricately carved golden edges. There were several chairs and couches on the room made of a dark wood and cushioned with red leather. A solid gold chandelier glimmered above Raven's head, the candles flickering with scarlet flames. The back wall of the room was an obsidian bookshelf, the shelves themselves traced with gold carvings. Surprisingly, there were only a few books in the bookshelf, only filling half of one of the middle shelves. Apparently Dante wasn't much of a reader.

In the center of the room sat an enormous writing desk, made of a wood so dark it was almost black. The edges were framed in, unsurprisingly, more gold, and nine intersecting circles were carved into the front of the desk, forming a chain-like pattern. There were only a few items on the desk. On the left side on the desk sat a small collection of expensive-looking amulets. Judging from their condition, though, it appeared that Dante had taken several of them apart, trying to cobble together some new piece of jewelry. Glancing at the shattered pendants thrown across the room, now hastily shoved in a corner and half-hidden behind a small marble statue of a bird, Raven could tell that Dante hadn't been pleased with the outcomes of his experiments.

On the right side of the desk, contrasting sharply with the dark color scheme of the room, rested a glass vase, completely filled with pure white roses. The flowers were so out of place in the study that Raven was transfixed by them, staring at the small bouquet for several moments. Tearing her eyes away from the vase, Raven immediately began searching the room for anything that could give a clue on where on earth she and Robin had ended up. She wasn't exactly expecting a GPS, but a receipt, a local postage stamp, or even a tag from a piece of clothing would work. Nothing. All the wastebaskets were empty, there were no signs of letters (who would write to this freak, anyway), and there wasn't a single article of clothing in the study. Dante did a pretty good job of keeping himself hidden.

Raven ran her finger across the few books in Dante's study. There weren't many, but Raven recognized the tomes he did have. _The Divine Comedy_, the collected works of Edgar Allen Poe, and _Macbeth_ were a few of the titles. Raven had read all of them before. The rest seemed to be chemistry textbooks, an odd addition to the room. To be honest, Raven really didn't care. What Dante read in his spare time wasn't of any interest to her. She just wanted to find a way to get Robin out of the dungeon first, and then get them both out of this little prison, hopefully dragging an unconscious Dante behind them.

Raven's gaze fell back upon the roses. Something about them bothered her. For all intents and purposes, they seemed to be completely normal roses, albeit a rather unusual pure white. Still, something about them put Raven's teeth on edge.

"Go ahead. Take one."

Raven jumped, startled. She immediately whirled around, forming an orb of dark magic as she did. Sure enough, Dante stood behind her, leaning casually on his cane as the last wisps of smoke disappeared into the air. Raven noticed small magical tendrils shrinking back into his staff. Whatever he was doing with Robin in the dungeon, it probably had used a lot of Dante's magic. That didn't bode well for Robin.

Dante gestured towards the roses, his mask grinning at Raven. "Go on. You can take one. I don't mind."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Right. I doubt that. What's the catch? Poisonous thorns? A knockout-drug hidden inside the flower?"

Dante sighed, flipping his cane over his shoulder and walking over to his desk. "See? This is what I'm talking about. How can we expect to have a civilized conversation when you constantly accuse me of trying to kill you? It's quite rude, to be honest."

The idea of being rude to Dante wasn't exactly terrifying Raven. This boy had kidnapped them, thrown Robin into a death trap, and was now requesting proper etiquette? Undoubtedly insane.

Dante plucked one of the roses out of the vase. Within an instant, the white petals of the rose darkened. The entire flower turned a deep red, the very edge of the petals a bright scarlet. Dante didn't seem surprised by this. He turned the rose over in his hands, holding it out so Raven could see.

"No thorns, no poison, no traps. Can't a boy just give a girl a rose without being accused of murder?"

Raven sighed. She didn't particularly want the rose, but the sooner she took it, the sooner Dante would shut up, and the sooner Robin could get out of the death trap. She took the rose from Dante's hand, fully intending to toss it into a wastebasket the first chance she got. To her surprise, the rose darkened even further as soon as it touched her fingertips. The petals turned as black as midnight, every part of the flower darkening until it was almost a silhouette of a flower.

Dante stared at the rose with fascination, studying it carefully. "Fascinating," he murmured, his eyes locked on the now-black rose.

Raven pushed the rose into her belt, hiding it from Dante's view. She could study it later. Right now, there were more pressing concerns.

"What do you want?" Raven demanded. It had been about five minutes since Robin had disappeared into the dungeon. She didn't want to waste any more time trying to get him out.

Raven could tell Dante was raising an eyebrow under his mask. "What do I want?"

"You said you had demands. What are they?"

Dante chuckled. "Ah, yes. We should begin our negotiations. As you wish, sorceress."

Dante sat down in the elegant chair behind his desk, leaning the cane against the armrest. He gestured to the simpler chair across from him. "Have a seat. Would you like anything? Tea perhaps? A glass of wine?"

"No thanks," Raven said simply, adjusting her cloak before sitting down. "Let's just get this over with."

Dante shrugged. "As you wish. You don't mind if I make myself comfortable, do you?"

Before Raven could respond, Dante clicked the jaw piece off of his mask, allowing a small cloud of steam to escape. Raven half-expected Dante to turn away to cover his exposed skin, but was surprised to see Dante simply set the jaw down in the table, peeling his gloves off as he did.

Raven studied the little skin exposed. Dante's flesh was white. That isn't to say he was Caucasian, or had very pale skin. Dante's skin was blank, as white as the roses in the vase in front of him. Clearly visible beneath the flesh were a network of veins, blood red and practically glowing. Scratch that. The blood vessels were _literally_ glowing, an identical color to his ruby-red magic. Raven had never seen anything like it. For some reason, however, Dante seemed strangely familiar. Raven couldn't identify it, but she was sure she had seen Dante somewhere before.

Dante grinned, revealing pearly white teeth just below the edge of the mask. "Now, shall we begin?"

Dante's voice was clear now, no longer muffled by the mask. Still, it sent a chill up Raven's spine. She was sure she had heard his voice before. Dante's pronunciation was different, along with his tone, but Raven recognized the voice. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

Dante cleared his throat. "Stay focused now, sorceress. Don't crack yet. We've only just begun."

Raven snapped out of her trance. She couldn't space out like that. She needed to finish this as soon as possible, to get Robin out of the dungeon. "Just say what you want."

Dante smiled. "Simple. I have three demands. And, conveniently, they all involve you."

Raven fought the urge to vomit. "If any of your demands are physical, I'm going to punch you."

Dante chuckled. "Of course not. Well, at least not in the sense you're thinking of." Dante twirled his hand, and a roll of parchment paper and a writing quill appeared in his hand in a puff of smoke. He held the two items out to Raven. "Here you are." Dante noticed her hesitation and chuckled. "Calm yourself. I'm not trying to kill you. I don't have an acid touch."

As soon as the words left Dante's mouth, he snapped his fingers, like he had just remembered something. "Acidic touch. That would have been brilliant. Well, better late than never."

Dante placed the roll of parchment and quill in front of Raven, and then rapped his cane on the floor. A handful of sparks flowed out of the top, cascading down the sides of the cane and disappearing into the floor. Raven didn't know exactly what had happened, but it probably didn't bode well.

Raven picked up the parchment and unrolled it. Written on the parchment appeared to be a lengthy contract. Raven groaned. Evil contracts. The staple of wannabe villains. Raven began reading through the document. Most of the calligraphy was dedicated to legal documentation (ironic, under the circumstances), but Raven finally reached the demands.

"Two cups of my blood," she read aloud, allowing her bewilderment to show, "a voluntary donation of magic, and… my cloak? Is this a joke?"

Dante's expression turned cold. "Why would I be joking?"

Raven gestured at the paper incredulously. "Did you even think before you wrote this? First of all, I can't 'donate' magic. That's not how it works. Second, my blood and cloak? Really? What are you trying to do, clone me?"

Dante leaned back in his chair, fingers to his lips. "Cloning…" he mumbled, as if mulling the idea over. "Possible… but a lack of a source. No, a terrible idea." Then he looked up at Raven, scowling. "Of course I'm not trying to clone you. I simply need these for personal reasons. Now, if you don't mind, sign the contract."

Dante twirled his hand, and an ebony bottle of deep scarlet ink appeared in front of Raven. He stared at her expectantly.

Raven gave an exasperated sigh, setting the parchment back down onto the desk. "I told you, I can't donate magic. It's impossible. You're going to need to rethink what you're-"

Dante pounced, switching out of his reclining position instantly. Before Raven could react, Dante's hands slammed down on top of hers, pinning them down. Raven tried yanking her hands back, but it was no use. Dante's hands dug into her skin like claws. The tips of Dante's fingers began crackling with dark red magic, jumping from fingertip to fingertip.

Dante leaned across the desk until his face was inches away from Raven's, his expression as dark as the obsidian walls around him. "Don't toy with me, sorceress," he growled, steam beginning to slither out from between his teeth and fog his silver mask. "You do not want to see me angry. Now, sign the contract, or I'll be forced to break a bit more than a few promises."

Raven stared back at Dante coldly. Making sure to act outside of his gaze, Raven pressed her feet against the front of the desk. One sudden tug could yank Dante out of his chair, over the desk, and send him crashing through some of his expensive furnishings. Then Raven would have time for a counterattack. Assuming that her plan worked. Assuming Dante wouldn't teleport, blast her with magic, or anything that he had proven he could do so far. Assuming Dante hadn't glued himself to the chair. Yes, that last one was ridiculous, but Raven wouldn't put it past Dante. Maniacs tend to be paranoid.

"I'm going to tell you this once," Raven said coldly, her eyes narrow. "Let go of me, or you're going to have bigger problems to deal with than your little contract."

Dante gave a sinister grin similar to the one on his mask. "Okay, sorceress. Let's see exactly what it takes to get some magic out of you."

What would have happened next is anyone's guess. The standoff was interrupted rather abruptly. At first there was what sounded like the hissing of ice dropped on a hot griddle. Dante barely had time to turn around. Then the wall behind him exploded.

* * *

><p>(Note: I do not own Teen Titans) Yes, I know, a short chapter, and it didn't a have a lot of action either. Please bear with me, I'll try to make up for it in the next chapter. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this.<p> 


	4. Dissent

Left, right, right, forward, left. Another dead end. Right, left, left, forward, forward, right, left. Still nothing. Robin scrambled around the labyrinth, his head spinning. His penlight of a badge had flickered out long ago, leaving Robin to maneuver the pitch-black maze off of pure memory. So far, he wasn't so optimistic about his progress. The labyrinth seemed to be toying with him, constantly changing its shape and the destination of the turns. Even if Dante was telling the truth and there was truly an exit to the maze, Robin highly doubted that he'd be able to find it before he was strangled by Dante's pet psychopath.

Robin whipped around a corner before sinking down to the ground, taking a moment to catch his breath. How long had it been since the last time he had seen Geryon/Red-X/whatever? Two minutes? Three? Robin doubted that he had managed to escape the creature, but he might have a few seconds to gather his wits. Let's see… he had already gone right down this passage, so he'll need to feel around until he found another corridor, if there was one, but after that…

A drop struck Robin's forehead. Robin swallowed, glancing up. Clinging to the wall directly above his head was Geryon, his luminescent white eyes and glowing, fang-laced smile the only visible parts of the creature. A few more drops of drool dribbled out of Geryon's mouth, striking Robin's head as Geryon's manic grin stretched across his entire face.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Robin shouted, jumping to his feet. At the same time, Geryon pounced off of the wall, claws outstretched, diving directly towards Robin's head. On instinct, Robin hit the floor, whipping up his staff to strike Geryon directly in the abdomen.

If Geryon was a normal opponent, he would have been thrown across the room, wind knocked out of him by the stab of the staff. To Robin's horror, however, the staff hissed upon making contact with Geryon's tar-like skin, like ice dropped on a stove. The staff melted away rapidly, until Robin was left with a steel rod about the size of a ruler. Geryon whipped above Robin's head, missing him by inches.

Before Geryon had time to turn around, Robin was sprinting down the hallway, trying desperately not to run directly into a solid wall. He heard Geryon's claws strike the tiles behind him, a chilling reminder of the pursuit. Robin's head swam. Acid skin?! Geryon hadn't had acid touch a minute ago!

A minute or two later, and after some wild twisting and turning, Robin managed to find himself in a corridor without Geryon right on his heels. Without wasting a moment, Robin whipped out his communicator, clicking it on as fast as he could. The chance of Dante watching him right this moment was slim, and Robin decided to play the odds.

"C'mon, c'mon, COME ON!" he hissed, shaking the communicator as if it would speed up the connection.

After a minute, the communicator made a clicking sound, and suddenly the screen lit up, temporarily blinding Robin. When his eyes refocused, Robin was greeted by the image of grinning Beast Boy, who seemed to be whipping up some sort of greenish pancake in the Tower kitchen, complete with an oversize chef hat.

Beast Boy grinned at the communicator, trying to figure out how to flip the pancake using just the pan. "Hey, Robin, what's up?" Beast Boy's smile faded quickly, replaced by a look of confusion. "Whoa, dude, you look… slightly worse than you usually do. Did you walk into a door or something? And what's with the angry face?"

Robin stared at the communicator, dumbfounded. Beast Boy was kidding, right? He had to be kidding. Not even he was this stupid.

"_What's up_? Beast Boy, what are you doing?! Raven and I have been missing for hours now and you're… you're making pancakes. Why on earth are you making pancakes?!"

Beast Boy stared at the communicator, confused. He didn't seem to notice that his vegan pancakes were beginning to burst into green flame. "Wait, what? Missing? When was this? Didn't you… dude, you just called a second ago. You booted up your communicator, told us that you and Raven had gone out on patrol, and then cut off. If that wasn't you, then it was Cyborg in a Robin costume."

Robin stared at the communicator, uncomprehending. He hadn't been in the Tower since last night, before he went to sleep. Who was taking his place in the city? And how did no one notice that it wasn't him?! Robin took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts.

"Okay, Beast Boy, whoever it is who called you _was not me_. You need to capture whoever that imposter is. Second, tell Cyborg to search the Titan computer for a villain named Dante. Skull mask, red magic, tuxedo, magic cane. And get us out of-"

Robin heard a primal screech behind him, and whirled around just in time to see a pair of glowing white eyes fly towards him. Robin shouted with frustration, rolling onto his back and kicking upwards with all the strength he had. He heard the soles of his boots hiss like ice dropped on a frying pan, but he prayed that they lasted a little longer. Otherwise, it would be very hard to run away from Geryon without a pair of legs.

Geryon was sent flying over Robin's head, thrown forward by the sudden force of the kick. Robin heard the creature slam into a wall behind him, and the Boy Wonder leapt to his feet, ready to sprint off again.

Robin froze after two steps. No. His eyes narrowed, and he whipped around, yanking the remainder of his cape off of shoulders. This was exactly what Dante wanted; Robin running around in the maze, mind addled by terror. If Robin kept running away, he was eventually going to exhaust himself and die anyway. Might as well go out with some style.

Robin charged forward, twisting his cape into a rope as he did so. He dashed past where he assumed Geryon would be on the ground, letting the center of the rope hang close to the ground. Sure enough, the rope snagged around Geryon's throat, resulting in a primal screech and the hiss of acid beginning to burn away the cape. Perfect.

Robin released one end of the rope, allowing it to loop loosely around Geryon's throat. Robin grinned as he heard the next sound of acid, and Geryon's surprised yelp. If Robin was correct, Geryon's acidic skin had just fused the cape to itself. Geryon was now inside the business end of an improvised noose, and Robin wasn't looking to waste a second.

"Hyaaah!" Robin shouted, swinging his end of the rope with all his strength. Geryon made a sharp choking sound before being whipped around like a discus, slamming into a nearby wall with a sharp _crack_.

Robin immediately sprinted over to where Geryon had smashed into the wall, not wanting to leave a second for Geryon to recover. Robin swung his steel-toed boot directly into Geryon's head, resulting in a satisfying _skoosh_ as Robin's foot sunk into Geryon's inky skin. Robin felt his skin begin to grow extremely hot, like he had just stepped into boiling water. Robin hissed in pain and yanked his foot out, still feeling Geryon writhe underneath him. The improvised noose was starting to burn away, and Geryon was still snarling and snapping at Robin like a wild dog. Seriously, Robin had buried his foot into the creature's skull, and it was still alive? What had Dante built this monster out of?

Before Robin could consider his next move, a faint noise reached his ears. He froze, craning his neck to try to find where the noise had come from. Finally, he decided to take a risk, pinning Geryon down with his unmelted boot and pressing his ear against the wall.

"…see exactly what it takes to get some magic out of you…"

Dante's voice. And, judging by his tone, this wasn't boding well for Raven. Robin growled. It was one thing to lock Robin in a labyrinth with an unkillable creature of nightmare. It was quite another to threaten Raven. Robin needed to get in there, and now.

Robin's gaze fell on his communicator, which he still tightly clutched in his hand. A plan popped into his head. It would cut off his only communication with the Titans, but he would be able to help Raven.

The rope around Geryon's neck snapped with the sound of a bullwhip cracking. Geryon immediately lunged at Robin, who, without thinking, rammed the side of his body into Geryon like a football linebacker.

The pain was excruciating. It was like Robin had shaved the right side of his body off, and then dove into a swimming pool full of lemon juice. Robin hissed in pain, but continued to push Geryon into the wall, ignoring the scraping claws and snapping fangs.

Robin held down every button on the communicator, until the screen turned a dark crimson. Twisting the communicator in his hand, Robin jammed the device into the freshly-created hole in Geryon's head, causing the inside of the creature's inky body to light up a blood red.

"Self-destruct," Robin gasped, gritting his teeth to stop himself from blacking out from the acid burns. "Clearance code… HYPERION!"

Robin dove away from Geryon, scraping along the floor on his uninjured side. Geryon dropped into a crouch, prepared to launch himself at Robin once again. Robin's heart sank. This time, he wouldn't be able to dodge Geryon's attack.

Suddenly, Geryon shuddered, like he had just shoved a fork into an electrical socket.

"_Command Acknowledged_," the communicator chirped in a mockingly cheery voice. The screen of the communicator went dark, plunging the entire maze into darkness again.

Geryon made one last noise, an odd mixture between a growl and a whimper. Then the labyrinth was shaken by an enormous explosion, creating a light so blinding and a blast so deafening that, for a moment, Robin thought that he had died and gone to hell. As the smoke cleared, a blinding light poured through an enormous hole in the labyrinth wall, the oily remains of Geryon splattered across the rubble.

Robin got to his feet unsteadily, and began hobbling towards the newly-created exit. As he climbed over the piles of rubble, Robin was greeted by an extremely strange sight. The room he had blasted into was elegant, to say the least, but that wasn't what caught Robin's attention. The hole had been created directly behind Dante, who had clicked off the bottom half of his mask, which was now resting on the expensive-looking desk in front of him. Across from him, on the other side of the desk, sat an angry-looking Raven, a parchment and a quill in front of her. And the two of them were… holding hands?

"What on earth is going on here?" Robin asked before he could stop himself. Both Raven and Dante whipped their heads in Robin's direction. To Robin's surprise, Dante's mask wasn't complete. Instead, the jaw piece was resting on the table, leaving Dante's entire mouth area exposed. Robin noted the paper-white skin and the ruby-red veins pulsing beneath the flesh. Okay, Robin had no idea what was happening here, but he was suddenly struck with the notion that Dante looked… familiar. Robin wasn't really able to identify the madman, but the shape of the face was tugging at a memory in Robin's head.

Dante released Raven's hands, snatching his mask off of the table and clicking it back into place. "Hello, Robin," the boy said calmly, the mask's sickly grin back in place. "What an… _unexpected_ surprise. I was sure you would be in different part of the labyrinth. Perhaps in several places at once. No matter. There's always next time."

Raven stood up from the table, rolling up the contract and sticking it into her belt. She glanced over at Robin, and her eyes widened.

"Robin!" Raven warned, encasing her hand in a sphere of energy. "Behind you!"

Robin's body reacted before his mind processed the warning. He hit the ground less gracefully than he would have preferred. To be honest, he collapsed like a sack of bricks, too injured and tired to attempt any other sort of maneuver.

A roughly-carved black creature shot inches above Robin's head, the black puddles throughout the rubble beginning to reform and mold back into the monster. Raven leapt backwards from the desk, trying to put enough distance between herself and the creature so that she could unleash an attack safely.

"What is that thing?" she demanded. Robin wasn't completely sure if that was directed towards him or Dante, but either way, Robin was much too tired to answer.

Dante sighed, getting to his feet and grabbing his staff, as if he had just been called to work on a weekend. He slammed the cane on the ground, and the resulting wave of sparks engulfed Geryon. The beast howled like he had stuck his claws into an electrical socket, but vanished in a blast of scarlet sparks.

Dante coughed into his elbow, a tendril of steam escaping from between his lips. "My apologies. It appears my pet is a bit eager to please. Not matter."

Dante turned around, glancing at the collapsed Robin. He sighed in exasperation. "For Hell's sake, Robin, get to your feet. You can die in your own time, but it's quite rude to suffer when someone is speaking."

Robin would have just continued to lie on the ground just to spite Dante, but the skull-masked boy pounded his cane into the ground once more, causing a ripple of scarlet sparks to cascade along the ground towards Robin. Robin was quite sure that the magic did not have friendly intentions, let alone painless ones.

A blast of black energy bounced off the floor, intercepting the red sparks mid-flight. The sphere of magic whipped around like a boomerang, spinning directly back towards Raven's outstretched hand. Robin made a silent note to thank Raven the moment he could feel his legs again.

Midway through the return to Raven, however, the sphere was snatched out of midair by Dante, who quickly cupped the sphere with both hands, as if fearful of losing it. Robin glanced at Raven in confusion, but she just shook her head and mouthed, _I'll explain later_.

Dante crushed the sphere carefully in his hands, just like he had done with the first piece of Raven's magic that he had caught. Dante took a deep, pained breath, but Robin couldn't read the boy's hidden expression. Dante straightened up, as if nothing had happened.

"Right. Now back to business," Dante said quickly, as if trying to hide what he had just done. "Robin, it appears your friend here is being quite… uncooperative. I'd appreciate if you talked some sense into her."

Robin groaned, trying to get to his feet. Raven sidestepped Dante and knelt next to Robin, helping him to his feet. Robin leaned on Raven for support, biting his tongue to keep himself from gasping in pain. The acid still boiled against his skin, a sensation Robin couldn't say he was particularly fond of.

"I'm guessing you managed to make Dante angry?" Robin muttered, glancing at Raven.

Raven shrugged, as if it wasn't particularly challenging. "He's like a toddler. If you don't give him what he wants, he throws a tantrum."

Robin chuckled, despite the pain. "I'm not complaining. Argue with him as much as you want, he just threw me in a labyrinth."

Raven looked Robin over, raising an eyebrow. "One question. Did you get these wounds from whatever that creature was, or from one of your own stupid plans?"

Robin frowned. "The first one. Well, mostly the first one. Acid skin doesn't really make it easy to fight a monster."

Raven sighed, shaking her head. "You tackled it, didn't you."

Robin's face turned red. "No! Well, partially. That doesn't matter. I saved you, didn't I?"

Raven frowned. "I didn't need saving. I'm not the one covered with acid burns."

Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask. "Yeah, you were fine, you were holding hands with the enemy."

Now Raven's face turned red. "That wasn't- he was pinning me down."

Dante cleared his throat, waving his hand in the air. "Ah, hello? Supreme sorcerer here? Robin, in case you've forgotten, you're supposed to be convincing her to sign the contract."

Robin glanced at Raven, managing to stand by himself, albeit barely staying on his feet. "Contract?"

Raven sighed. "I'll explain later."

Robin nodded. It didn't really matter if he knew what was in the contract for now, as long as he knew Raven didn't sign it. He trusted her judgment.

"Raven," Robin said seriously, his expression hardening. "Do you want to sign the contract?"

Raven stared at him, her expression unwavering. "No," she said flatly.

Robin gave an over-exaggerated sigh, shaking his head and turning back to Dante. "Well, I tried."

Dante's eyes seemed to flare behind his mask. "That's it? That's your entire attempt?"

Robin shrugged. "Have you ever tried talking down Raven? After a minute or two, she's making you question your whole life. Not something I want to get into."

Dante growled behind his mask. "I'm going to be generous and give you one more chance to sign the contract. You have no earthly idea what this could cost me if you don't sign it."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"…Then I'll try again," Robin finished. He turned back to Raven again seriously. "Raven, are you absolutely, positively, undeniably sure that you won't sign the contract?"

"Yes," Raven said flatly.

Robin shrugged, turning back to Dante. "I gave it my best."

Dante growled with frustration, slamming his cane into the ground. A solid red wave of magic blasted into Robin and Raven, sending them both flying back into the labyrinth. Robin shouted in pain as a volume of Edgar Allen Poe crashed down on his wounded shoulder, causing a firework of pain to erupt in his arm. More rubble and books would undoubtedly have crashed down onto Robin if Raven hadn't leapt to her feet so quickly and thrown up a shield around the two of them, keeping any more debris from striking the two Titans.

Dante stepped into the maze, practically glowing with sparking red magic. "I warned you," Dante growled, sealing the wall behind them with a blast of scarlet magic. "Magic may be hard to come by, but I have no qualms about spending some on an insolent, powerless vigilante and an uncooperative _witch_!"

Dante jabbed forward with the sharp, ruby-encrusted end of his cane. The tip shattered directly through Raven's energy shield, digging a deep gash into her arm in the process. Raven cried out, more in surprise than pain, but before either Robin or Raven could react, Dante held his cane aloft, the tip sparking blood-red.

"Dnoces Elcric!" Dante shouted furiously, spinning his staff so the bloodstained tip faced the ground. A scarlet lightning bolt blasted the ground, skidding along the tiles until it chanced upon the few remaining puddles of Geryon. Immediately, the puddles hardened and stretched, becoming thin and almost paper-like. The tar-like, papery skin began to wrap around a body that didn't exist, forming legs, arms, and a torso. An inky black head was quickly created, and, in a spark of sorcery, a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes emerged from the paper, the pupils dilated with hatred.

Robin heard Raven's breath catch in her throat. Personally, Robin didn't recognize the creature at first. Then something clicked in his head. If Robin's foil was Red-X, a ruthless thief that matched the Boy Wonder point for point in abilities, then Raven's would be…

"Malchior," Raven growled, black spheres of magic sparking in her hands. Blood streamed down her wrist, but she didn't seem to notice.

To Robin's surprise, the new Geryon tilted its head, as if recognizing the name. The blood-red eyes locked onto Raven hungrily.

"Hello, Raven," Geryon said calmly, to Robin's shock. Apparently this version of Geryon was more intelligent than the Red-X monstrosity. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough," Raven growled, her magic sparking dangerously. Robin wasn't sure who was the most dangerous person in the room at the moment, but it certainly wasn't the stoplight-colored kid sprawled on the floor.

Dante chuckled darkly. "Intelligence. That's interesting. That usually doesn't occur unless the victim and the subject were particularly… close. This shall be interesting."

Dante glanced at Geryon. "You know your duties. But I want the girl alive."

The mask's sickly grin seemed to spark with energy. "But make sure the boy is dead. In retrospect, he seems like he's more trouble than he's worth."

* * *

><p>(Note: I do not own Teen Titans) Wow, that was a <em>really <em>long time between updates. I give my sincerest apologies. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it, and I'll try to update more promptly. Thank you to everyone reading and following this story, despite the wait. I hope you enjoy.


End file.
